FTW96LA276

During the landing roll in a crosswind, the plane's tailwheel lock failed. The pilot subsequently lost control of the airplane. The plane went off the left side of the hard surface runway and ground looped.

On June 24, 1996, at 0600 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA-22-150, N6048D, was substantially damaged following a loss of control while landing near El Paso, Texas. The commercial pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. The airplane was owned and operated by the pilot under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight for which a flight plan was not filed. The flight originated from the Deming Municipal Airport in Deming, New Mexico, at approximately 0500.

According to witnesses at the airport, the pilot lost control of the airplane while landing on runway 26L at El Paso International Airport. The pilot stated that during the landing roll, "the tailwheel popped out of the lock and shimmied 3 times." The airplane skidded off the left side of the runway despite the pilot's application of full rudder and brake. As the airplane left the hard surface, the pilot discontinued the braking action to avoid nosing over and the airplane ground looped, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing.

The pilot stated that the tower issued him the reported winds while on the downwind leg, and he accepted the clearance to land on runway 26L. The recorded winds at the time of the accident were reported from 200 degrees at 7 knots. In the enclosed NTSB Form 6120.1/2, the pilot added that at the time of the accident the winds were gusting in excess of 10 knots.